The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-29
OLD AND NEW NEWSPAPERS.

OLD AND NEW NEWSPAPERS.
! Newspapers published in the last century
were very different from those of to-day, as
who complain of the methods of modern jour-
nalism ought in all consistency, to be pleased
with the old-time papers, since they contain
none of the features which distinguish later
publications. In sheet published previous
to 1900 there is, for instance no news" of later
date than two weeks previous to the day of
ISSUE while much is even older. OF local in
formation there is none, save that to be found
in the advertising columns. There are no
sensations, no personals" no society gossip,
and no baseball reports. There is great
deal of ponderous craftsmanship, which, in
the light of subsequent events, seems OF less
importance than probably appeared to be the
case at that time. But if the papers themselves
differ from the publications of the present
age, human nature, revealed in their pages,
shows itself to have been of the same brand
as that which crops out in modern life. The
ancestor of the Bohemian oats swindler, for
ago. A correspondent of the Worcester,
Mass, Gazette, printed in May, 1855, tells a
marvellous story of the transmutation of oats
into rye. This chronicer relates that, as a
result of careful experiments, it had been
found that oats, if cut frequently and not
allowed to head until the second year after
planting would invariably produce a good
crop of rye. Who can doubt that this agri-
cultural communication was preliminary to
an offer by the writer to sell this extraordinary
grain at twenty dollars a bushel to any who
would buy?
1t is with something of shock that the
reader who is imbued with belief in the
superior morality of his forefathers notes in a
Boston paper of so recent date as 1896 de-
tailed account of the Harvard College Lot
terry drawing. Think of it. 1t is not impos-
sible that Harvard students in this year of
our Lord may have some acquaintance with
lotteries, but these institutions are in the
wicked cities of New Orleans and Louisville,
and the results of the drawings are not
placarded OH Harvard walls AS if this de-
struction of fond illusion were not enough,
the same paper, the Columbian Centinel,"
copies approvingly from the philadelphia
Aurora" vile attack upon the now sainted
George Washington. President Washington
had recently made known his determination
not to be candidate again, and instead
of lamenting this decision, the Aurora
.rrL
arrogate great merit to himself on account of
his disinterestedness, and in this he no doubt
includes his intention not to serve again.
The disinterestedness on this latter score is
rather questionable, for his unwillingness to
be candidate seems to have arisen from
a consciousness that ne would not be re-
elected than want of ambition or lust of
power" Then, after exalting Adams at
Washington's expense, and declaring, senten-
tiously, that Adams would not be puppet;
that, having an opinion and judgment of his
own, he would act from his own impulses
rather than the impulses of others; that, pos
sessing great integrity. he would not sacrifice
his country's interests to the shrine of
party, the Aurora brushes the Father of
his Country by charging that Though Adams
is an aristocrat in theory, Washington is
one in practice; hat'Adams has the simplicity |
of republican, but that Washington has the |
ostentation of Eastern bashaw."' The in
ference to be drawn from this is that there |
was such thing as partisanship in those |
days, and that President Washington possibly |
found it quite u offensive and pernicious as
his latest successor in Office has done. The |
press seems to have been inclinedt to |
ghoulish glee and pernicious activity in its |
youth, and careful study of intermediate
periods fails to distinguish time when such
were absent. At the present
stage of development these features of the
press may rightfully enough be regarded as
and, therefore, incapable of change.